Sunday, August 2, 2020

HERBERT VON KARAJAN & ARTURO TOSCANINI PAINTINGS WITH SOME MAESTRO HUMOUR.

Portraits of Karajan and Toscanini painted on canvas;






TAKEN FROM THE NET
"A musician was walking in a street when he saw a little shop with the sign: “Musical pets”. With great curiosity, he walked in and saw a beautiful parrot: big, elegant and with a green, yellow, red and blue plumage. He was really impressed and decided to buy it.
The dealer said: “Good choice! He is $10,000”
“$10,000!? “— Replied the old man — “Why is he so expensive?”
“This beautiful parrot can sing all Mozart Arias by heart!”
“Really? Amazing but he’s really a bit too much for me “ when he said these words he noticed another parrot, a bit smaller than the other and less colored. “He must be cheaper,” he thought so he asked the price to the shop owner.
“Oh, That parrot costs $20,000”
“$20,000!“ - said, the customer shocked “Why?”
“Besides all Mozart, he can sing also all Wagner and Verdi Operas....
“Astonishing, but he is really too much, listen that old decrepit looking parrot there in the corner it MUST be cheaper, right, how much is he?
“Well, that is $100,000”
“What?! exclaimed the poor man, totally upset - "What can he do?"
"Oh, actually he does nothing but all the others call him MAESTRO!""


Some more humour;



Monday, March 23, 2020

Extracts from Prison Notebook

March 23, 2020 – (Covid 19 era) 

“One of the most remarkable lessons of the past seven days is just how quickly the mind can make the unthinkable thinkable.”  Even genocides become a norm for the righteous when unthreatened.  However, this blog is neither about politics nor the essence of human mind for I am an ignoramus in both these areas.

It is about pulling out extracts from Prison Notebook pertaining to words and language prevalent today, such as, isolation, loneliness, boredom,  seclusion, social distancing, etc.  Though, in Prison Notebook, the emotiveness of their meaning may differ from its present-day context, yet since the book’s underlying theme is ‘detachment through practice of selfism,’ it will be interesting to randomly pluck pertaining quotes.


To view more of Prison Notebook;





QUOTES FROM PRISON NOTEBOOK

Solitude has always been my preferred companion.
It is only second to death in ultimate freedom.
Societal living makes essence supersede existence.
It turns human life into a numb, perfunctory experience.
Individuality is replaced by conformity.  
From birth you are thrown into the vortex of civilization.
It swallows you to feed its own appetite.
Once digested, it buries you like its excrement.
Living becomes a mindless, robotic ordeal.  
Within its abyss even paradoxes lose their meaning.
In slavery you are made to rejoice in your freedom.
In submission you are made to exult in your dominance.
And in obedience you are made to gloat in your autonomy. 
But I escaped from its clutches.
For over five decades I lived alone in the woods by a river.
Fending only for myself.
It was a period of tranquility and abundance.
Where anguish and economy were mere concepts. 

Today they shifted me to an isolation cell.
Now again it is tranquil like at the cabin.
There is solace in uninhabited surroundings. 
No mundane communication with other inmates anymore.
Neither any need to indulge in purposeless pleasantries.
Nor hollow salutations. 

 … – my now incapacitated prey.
He was kept in isolation so we could only see him through a glassed partition.
He was bandaged like a mummy.
We were told he was heavily sedated as the pain was unbearable.

My foremost experience, living in isolation, was cleansing of the mind.
It was from all of society’s imposed clutter of sights and sounds.
Tranquillity was increasingly adorning my senses.
Very shortly, I started to live in rhythmic harmony with my natural surroundings.
The urban mindset of distraught was vanishing into ether.
Clarity was gradually eclipsing obscurity.
Soon, a mood of calm had enveloped my complete being.      

“You have lived for so many years in such isolation.”
“No, in peace,” I corrected him.
“They say living in this isolation, you are either a god or a beast.”
“We are all beasts.”

Live by myself in isolation.
Become self-reliant.
It was the dawn of the Selfist revolution. 

Society for its own survival creates interconnectedness among its subjects.
It categorises them within a complex machinery. 
And streamlines them into performing very specific tasks.
They call it harmonious coexistence.
I call it annihilation of the individual.
Within the system, living is at the mercy of others.
Or of uncertainties. 

There are artificial anxieties imposed by society. 
The experience of living becomes a tediously futile endeavour. 
Also complexities that enslave its inhabitants. 
All are trapped in a delusionary pursuit towards some imaginary horizon.
Like a quest to reach where the earth meets the sky.
Exhaustedly they keep stampeding in that direction.
Often trampling over others or getting crushed in their plight.  
Mindlessly seeking and yet never being able to reach their destination.
Such is the perfunctory life of the civilised human.

Pain and pleasure are not the exclusive privileges of any group or species.
They are the trappings of life to preserve and propagate itself.
Both are of same parentage.
Pain is the stronger of the two.
The agony felt by the one on whom the pain is inflicted is extreme.
While the pleasure experienced by the perpetrator is of lesser intensity.
Pain is for protecting while pleasure is for luring.
These are life’s helm towards its own preservation and perpetuation.
Similar to society’s creation of hell and heaven, it is a ploy.

Inflicting pain in killing is a part of natural order.
Torturing for sake of grooming is a cultural trait.
Prisons are created for this purpose.
Similar to educational institutions, functionally they are manipulative.
By enchaining the body, they attempt to enslave the mind into submission.
When schools fail, prisons come to their rescue. 
In the end, it is all towards keeping the fabric of society intact.

“Why are you so critical of society?”
“It is slavery in disguise.”

“Society demands interdependence while mental peace requires independence…”

Life is a meaningless continuum.
Yet, in society humans derive their purpose from its mechanical order.
Remove its unnatural structures and there is only preservation and procreation.
The two commandments ingrained in all life I have hitherto seen.

I was resolute in abandoning society.
The surgery gave me the ultimate sovereignty I wanted.
From this point onwards, the only person I needed was me – singular.
Selfism was no more just an idea or a belief or a concept.
But, my way of life.
At the earliest possible point, I was determined to sever all ties with social cohabitation. 
Self-reliance was the answer to my freedom.

The week is also another of society’s manipulations.
It tells the multitude when to work and when to rest.
Even the god they created was made to rest on the seventh day.

Nature has not coded us as social beings.
Instead, it is society for its own sustainability.
Schools are their preparatory indoctrinating factories.
They encode blind allegiance to cluster mores. 
With fear and enticement they cement the herd mindset.
Conformity is rewarded and individuality penalised.
They litter the minds with the glitter of social acceptability, responsibility and functionality.
Finally, at graduation you are certified as suitable, reputable and a vegetable.

Similar to schools, the media is society’s contrivance to control public thinking.
Governments steer their subjects towards who to like and who to loathe.
Commercial institutions manipulate them into what to procure and what to vend.
They are like the puppeteer’s two hands.
Each tangoing with the other. 

They (trees) were my sanctuary from earliest days.
Offering me the solitude I desired.
It was from where I could see the world yet remain invisible.

“Life at the cabin was very different.
“I was self-sufficient in all my needs.
“Control of my well-being was in my hands.” 
“Did you ever feel lonely?” He finally asked.
“Solitude brings only peace, not loneliness.
“How could I feel lonely?
“I had myself.
“I feel lonelier amongst others.
“The city is full of lonely people.
“Become your own ally.
“And you will never feel alone.”

There is tranquility in solitude.

Selfism was no more just an idea or a belief or a concept.
But, my way of life.
At the earliest possible point, I was determined to sever all ties with social cohabitation. 
Self-reliance was the answer to my freedom.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ – A Review

The below book review first appeared in the spring 2019 issue of Hamazor (UK). 













‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ 

(A Review by Dinshaw H. Patel)

The delight of perusing a good cookbook is that it takes one beyond the mere recipe instructions and into the realm of culinary history and ethnography.  Niloufer Mavalvala’s second cookbook, ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’, encompasses all these qualities, and hence, it is a definitive Parsi reference cookbook for both gastronomy buffs and food anthropologists alike. 


The book is meticulously put together with an array of high resolution photographs complementing the written recipes.  The instructions on how to prepare are detailed yet written in simple and understandable language that even the most timid home cook would be able to master.  Plus, the ‘Tips’ on the unique nuances in preparing each item are very useful. This is presented in tandem with a visual glossary of ingredients, the preparation process in a series of images, followed finally by the picture(s) of the completed and garnished, ‘ready to serve’ item.  Hence, ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ would be of much value in the kitchens of professional chefs as well as amateur gastronomic hobbyists.

Yet, what makes this book truly interesting is that each recipe is prefaced with an explanation of  the Parsi cultural practices associated with the food, many a time its nutritional value and its origin, often tracing the recipe’s journey from its birth in Persia to the Indian Subcontinent.

Similar to the French, the Parsis too are a food-focused people.  There is a menu for every occasion, and an occasion for every menu.  While mere eating is an indispensable human activity, feasting on a sumptuous meal prepared in the most exacting way is a cultural trait.  Ordinarily, and in celebrations, Parsis are known for devouring lavish breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  In a way, the Parsi culinary culture reflects the industry and prosperity this small community has enjoyed for centuries on the Subcontinent, ever since they landed on its shores as refugees from Persia.

To highlight the gastronomic ethos of the Parsi community, Niloufer, in the ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’, has thematically grouped the chapters, starting with ‘Mamaiji nu Pinjru ~ Grandma’s Pantry’.  The recipes in this section are rarely found in other cookbooks for they are more like family heirlooms that have orally come down from one generation to the next. However, with mass exodus of Parsis from the Subcontinent to the Gulf countries, Europe, North America and Australasia, these uniquely Parsi culinary foods are gradually heading towards extinction.  Mamaiji nu Pinjru’ revives these endangered foods which are mainly accompaniments, such as uniquely Parsi style preserves, pickles, chutneys and spreads. And without these condiments, no traditional Parsi meal would feel complete.For instance,  ‘Murumbo – Sweet White Gourd Preserve,’ though a staple spoonful companion with several Parsi dishes, is slowly disappearing for those who have migrated from the Subcontinent.  Although, at first glance, items from Mamaiji nu Pinjru’ may seem a bit intimidating by the sheer traditional aura surrounding their names, following Niloufer’s cooking instructions makes this preserve easy to prepare and still as deliciously authentic as from Grandma’s Pantry.


Similarly, there are several recipes under each of the other groupings, such as ‘Mithhu Mohnu ~ To Sweeten the Palate’, ‘Tarkari nay Daar ~Vegetables and Pulses’, ‘Jhinga Machi ~ Seafood’ and ‘Murghi anay Gos ~ Chicken and Meat.’

There is much in the book to satisfy all diets, including lacto-ovo-pescatarian and vegan.  Moreover, in the introduction, Niloufer often cites the nutritional value of the particular food. 

‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ soars on the quality and quantity of its recipes.  Niloufer, in every recipe, emphasizes the importance of attaining the perfect sweet and savory blend to fully gratify the receptors of the traditional Parsi palate.  As she herself aptly puts it; 

"Tikkhu-Khattu-Mitthu” (Spicy-Sour-Sweet) is considered the Holy Trinity of Parsi cooking, and perfecting its balance is the key between mediocrity and perfection in any Parsi dish.

Niloufer Mavalvala, (nee Wania) was born and raised in the cosmopolitan port city of Karachi, which offered a mosaic of ethnic cuisines cooked with fresh ingredients and meats easily available from both land and sea. Moreover, she grew up in a household with expert cooks.  Her mother was her primary guide and inspiration towards her early culinary education;

“My mum Shireen in her own right is an outstanding chef who only believes in perfection … It is with her infinite knowledge and nurturing that I am able to do what I do best.”

Another influence in the Wania household was her aunt, Villie Mehta.  As an expert on Parsi cuisine,  she was very instrumental in “… popularising the food of the Parsis at Victory Stall, the Time & Talents Club.”  In Niloufer’s own words;

“She (Aunt Villie) has been my inspiration.  Sharing our passion for food, teaching and experimenting with new ingredients, she has helped me in so many ways.”

Niloufer sums up the influence her two culinary mentors had on helping her to excel in her career in gastronomy;

“My mother and my Aunt Villie have been the two greatest influences. Mum for teaching me the finer points of cooking with exacting measurements and always pushing me toward excellence. My aunt teaching me the importance of not wasting any part of the fruit, vegetable or meat and being able to create through the mind’s palate.”  

And at her parent’s home lavish lunch and dinner parties were a norm for, as she mentions;

“No one ever left our home without sharing a meal…A perfect hostess (Niloufer’s mother), she loved to entertain and always created different menus for every dinner party she ever had.”

From an early age Niloufer took keen interest in cooking.  It was her passion to shadow her elders in the kitchen while they prepared exquisite meals, working their hands in precision with the skills they had acquired  from their seniors. 

Hence, Niloufer’s culinary training and workshop were in her own home kitchen and it is here through her natural talent, an innate passion for gastronomy, and sheer perseverance,  that she became a truly autodidact chef.

Under the vigilant supervision of her elders, Niloufer, by her mid-teens, had mastered all the necessary cooking skills and knowledge to comfortably perform at all levels of her kitchen’s ‘brigade de cuisine.’   By the age of seventeen, she had become sufficiently proficient in culinary skills to independently hold her first cooking class.

Although ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ exclusively focuses on Parsi cuisine, Niloufer’s culinary repertoire extends far beyond the periphery of Parsi or Indian foods.  From childhood, Niloufer has travelled extensively around the world and, in the midst, her keen interest in gastronomy has led her to understand and learn about food cultures from various regions of the world.  Hence, it is not surprising that several of her cookbooks, recipe blogs and cooking demonstrations have an international flare to them.  Viewing some of the titles of e-books (for example - “Persian Fusion,” “Moroccan,” “French Bistro,” “Spanish Tapas,” “Winter - A party menu,” “Soups,” “Autumn - A fun menu,” “Gluten Free,” etc.), it becomes evident that  her expertise in food culture extends far beyond the borders of the Subcontinent. Even her experiential cooking classes offered from her own home kitchen takes one on a global journey, such as,  Chicken in mustard and balsamic, Mussels in a smoked salmon cream sauce, Harira soup, hors d’oeuvre tidbitsand much more from all corners of the world.  In addition, she frequently writes on gastronomy for the Huffington Post and other magazines.  Niloufer also maintains much presence on social media with food related articles and recipes which has a following of over half a million readers internationally. She has appeared on several television food shows and recently gave a cooking class to “forty enthusiastic foodies” at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, in the U.K. 

With all this knowledge and experience, Niloufer Mavalvala has become a celebrated chef and an authority on Parsi cuisine.  Her first cookbook, ‘The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine’ (2016), was extremely well received with excellent reviews and continues to remain in print.  Between the two books no recipes are replicated and, while ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ focusses on recipes for special occasions, her first book has mainly recipes on what Parsis eat on a daily basis. 

Both,  ‘The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine’ (2016) and ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ (2019) complement each other and, if Niloufer Mavalvala in the future decides to combine  the two books and arrange them alphabetically into one, it would truly be the first encyclopedic compendium of  Parsi recipes, beginning with ‘Akuri’ from the first book and ending with ‘Zereshk Berry Palau’ from the second book.

‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ is sold for USD 30.00.  For further information on retail outlets selling the book, visit Niloufer Mavalvala’s web page;
http://www.nilouferskitchen.com   

Monday, August 6, 2018

Comment on Boris Johnson's BURQA remarks.....

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/aug/06/boris-johnsons-burqa-remarks-fan-flames-of-islamophobia-says-mp?CMP=fb_gu

Much will be lost in terms of freedom of expression if Boris Johnson succumbs to the pressures of the holier-than-thou and apologises. 
Boris often gets criticized by the political ‘correcties’ for his tongue-in-cheek expressive style, yet his argument on the face covering burqas is quite valid.  He referred to it as a ‘letter boxes’ while Churchill described the same about a century back as ‘walking tents.’  
When France, entrenched in its jurisprudence of  Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, has banned burqas in public arena and when the most accommodating and liberal Denmark implemented a similar ban, Boris Johnson’s point cannot be flippantly dismissed as being ‘Islamophobic’ or ‘Anti-Mohammedan.’
Banning the wearing of burqas is neither a Right or Left Wing issue.  It is a matter of basic security.  Humans identify others mainly through facial features.  So far yesterday’s attackers of Bookmark Bookshop in Bloomsbury London have not been caught as they were masked.  Did not the terror suspect, Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed escape internal and border surveillance by disguising himself as a woman wearing a burqa?
The banning of burqa in public places is neither an infringement of individual liberty nor does it fall within the realm of bigotry and intolerance.  It is towards the protection of society at large similar to banning masked faces or Ku Klux Klan hoods in public.
Hope Boris does not bow to the pressure from the political ‘correcties’ or get forced by May to retract an opinion too honest for our time.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Happiness & the Ode to Joy



This article was originally written for a local publication.  The central question being examined is whether music can evoke happiness and with specific reference to the iconic Ode to Joy.  
__________


Happiness & the Ode to Joy
By
Dinshaw Patel

“Where words fail, music speaks,” wrote Hans Christian Andersen.
Often music evokes emotions more ferociously than speeches or banners.  Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, who composed the Marseillaise was specifically commissioned to write a piece with such fervour of nationalism that it would mobilize and incite the French to rally against tyranny.”  Similarly, the influence of music on emotions is also witnessed in auditoriums.  For instance, at the traditional last night of the Proms, the patrons get into an amplified state of camaraderie and belonging during the sing-along of Edward Elgars The Land of Hope and Glory
This melody from Elgars march was also adopted by some Parsis as their surrogate anthem replacing the original lyrics with ones more germane.  Often social gatherings were not complete without some pianist or baritone leading the crowd into a joyous chorus with,
Children of the Royal Race of Noshirwan,
Rally round his banner, sing of old Iran
Charity and Ashoi, these are watch-words true,
Mazda Lord of Good Mind, ever will save you,
Mazda Lord of Good Mind ever will save you.
Such is the power of music on human emotions.   But, can it be asserted that music, in general, leads to happiness?  And, more specifically, with focus on Ode to Joy.
In laypersons terms, happiness can be defined as a cheerily uplifting emotion.  However, since music and emotions are connected, can it be argued that because not all emotions are feelings of happiness, melancholic music brings sadness? On the contrary, for those who know the value of a good cry or a cathartic release may find that sad or angry music can bring about happiness indirectly.
This form of happiness is linked to the stimuli through the senses and, therefore, is short-lived and of fluctuating intensity.   However, there is another form of happiness which, rather than being euphoric, is a more permanent state of mind offering a comforting feeling of security, abundance and peace.  The Ode does justice to both cadres of happiness.   
As part of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethovens 9th symphony, the Ode covers only a third of the complete work and yet, it eclipses the rest. Hector Berlioz called it the culmination of its authors genius.”  In recent times, while screams of joy, freedom and hope accompanied the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Ode wafted from speakers in all corners. It is also the anthem of the European Union.  In many an instance, the Ode has become the signature piece for causes and movements.  Hence, it would not be an exaggeration to state that the Ode to Joy is one of the most familiar compositions in the western musical canon.
Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed the 9th symphony. Yet, in his stubbornness, he insisted on conducting the orchestra and chorus at its premiere.  It is said, He directed the piece himself; that is, Beethoven stood before the lectern and gesticulated furiously. At times he rose, at other times he shrank to the ground, he moved as if he wanted to play all the instruments himself and sing for the whole chorus."  At the end, he continued conducting though the orchestra had finished.  His disability had silenced all instruments, voices and applause.  For Beethoven, the symphony only existed in his minds ear.   
But beyond the spontaneous euphoria that the Ode inspires with the orchestra and voices at their peak, the symphony also gives a message of hope that happiness and joy can be attained when one rids the devils of social divisiveness from within and, instead, embraces comradeship and unity. Without getting into the nuances of the modifications that Beethoven made to Friedrich Schillers An die Freude,the underlying message stands firm like a statue - when individuals bond in uniting more than dividing, all of humanity will live in perpetual bliss.  With such a prophetic message, the Ode is often referred to as the, Anthem of Humanity.”   In contemporary times John Lennon in his song Imaginegives a similar message that peace and happiness are only possible when geographical and ethnic diversities are deemed irrelevant.
The 9th symphony has been a part of me since vinyl days, yet without any formal training in music, I can only offer a subjective and a nontechnical interpretation.  Yet, as Harvey Sachs in his recent book,  The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824, points out that the symphony "belongs to each person who attempts to listen to it attentively" making it a highly personal experience. He further adds, Unlike, say, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Beethoven's masterpiece authentically can and perhaps should mean something personal and different to everyone who approaches it.”  A more tongue in cheek comment emphasizing the same point was made by the famous conductor, Wilhelm Furtwängler who said,Trying to nail down the 9th symphony to a definitive meaning is like stabbing a butterfly to an entomologist's wall.”  However, it is only in the choral finale where Beethoven, in communicable language, advocates his message of universal kinship.  The three preceding movements  leading to this message are open to interpretations.
Personally, this colossal symphony takes one on an emotional journey relating the story of human society mutating from a state of dystopia to one of utopia. A message that when fraternal solidarity replaces disunity it brings happiness.  The symphony takes one on the voyage through its four distinct movements. The first with its choppy melodies echoes a sense of chaos and uncertainty.  Reflecting an anarchic state. The type of society where harmonious cohabitation is honoured in the breach than the observance.  As the movement approaches the end, a funeral march comes into play foreshadowing the death of humanity if selfishness and xenophobia are let to flourish.
The second movement gives a sense of order but within the rigidity of a totalitarianism.  Life for humanity becomes a toil of perfunctory existence where obedience and allegiance take over freewill and choice.  As Anthony Burgess aptly put it, When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.”  
This despair comes to a sudden halt with the beginning of the 3rd movement.  The softness of its harmonious melody continues like an unbroken chain in its multitude of euphonious variations.  It is like the heavens are directing humanity in the direction of never-ending blissful happiness.
The 4th movement mainly encompasses the iconic Ode to Joy.  It is here that Beethovens music gives eloquence to Schillers poem.  It begins with a grandiose introduction.  It then moves very softly to the main melodic theme of the Ode progressing thematically to louder orchestral variations of the same.  Finally, the instruments allow the vocals to blend putting Beethovens fraternal message in a lyrical form.  The following are some examples;
Oh friends, not these sounds!
Let us instead strike up more pleasing
and more joyful ones!
Joy!
Joy!
——-
We enter, burning with fervor,
heavenly being, your sanctuary!
Your magic brings together
what custom has sternly divided.
All men shall become brothers,
wherever your gentle wings hover.
——-
Whoever has been lucky enough
to become a friend to a friend,
Whoever has found a beloved wife,
let him join our songs of praise!
——-
In Imagine,John Lennon in the same spirit says;

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
——
Imagine all the people living life in peace
——
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world
——
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
——
Even with a century and a halfs gap between these two masterworks, the message of bliss through universal Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité’ remains unchanged.
The pleasurable side of the Ode increases on each additional listening.  For those who diligently memorize it from O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!till the end will find a private or public sing-along a truly exhilarating experience especially as the instruments and voices blend into making the Ode to Joy a work of multiple genius;

Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder